Looking up: Sioux Falls' skyline sees new addition

The giant crane in downtown Sioux Falls is 171 feet 5 inches, with a 230-foot working boom at its peak.
Argus Leader Media

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A giant yellow crane stands at 171 feet 5 inches, with a 230-foot working boom at its peak at the Washington Square project site along Main Avenue in downtown Sioux Falls.(Photo: Jay Pickthorn / Argus Leader)Buy Photo

A giant yellow crane towering above Main Avenue is a temporary fixture as crews work on an eight story mixed-use building with retail, office space and condominiums.

Until the project is done, the crane will temporarily stand among South Dakota's tallest structures.

An official ranking doesn't exist, but a survey of local building officials and press clippings suggest the crane could be the city's third tallest monument at the moment.

The view from the top of the tower crane being used by Henry Carlson Company to build Washington Square. It, for now, is one of the tallest structures in the state.(Photo: Mike Ralston / Henry Carlson Company)

Washington Square will top 103 feet when finished, and developers wanted a crane tall enough to work from above the project.

“The benefits of a tower crane, you know, with a limited area, it’s what you see in a lot of urban areas that are growing,” said Chris Houwman, a partner on the project.

The crane is so big, contractor Henry Carlson Company had to leave the state to find it, project manager Mike Ralston said.

“There’s not anyone locally that even owns anything like that,” Ralston said. “It’s such a specialty thing.”

His company is leasing the crane from a Twin Cities-based firm. The crane stands at 171 feet 5 inches, with a 230-foot working boom at its peak.

An updated rending of Washington Square.(Photo: BKV Group)

City Hall doesn’t track building heights, even though the information is filed as part of the planning process, said Ron Bell, Sioux Falls’ chief building official.

The CenturyLink Tower, 125 S. Dakota Ave., is thought to be the tallest in Sioux Falls — and all of South Dakota. Officials measured the building, formerly the Qwest Tower, at 195 feet more than a decade ago when comparing it with the since-demolished Zip Feed Tower.

The Argus Leader once reported that the spires on St. Joseph Cathedral reach about 185 feet high, and that's where the list ends for structures known to be taller than the Washington Square crane.

The Liebherr 281 crane towers over the Washington Pavilion, and it easily tops the puny 106-foot Denny Sanford Premier Center.

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A giant yellow crane stands at 171 feet 5 inches, with a 230-foot working boom at its peak at the Washington Square project site along Main Avenue in downtown Sioux Falls.(Photo: Jay Pickthorn / Argus Leader)

Gargantuan in size, the crane is fixed to the earth in a concrete footing. Its sizable boom can hold up to 22,045 pounds, allowing crews to lift concrete and steel as work continues.

Tower cranes are tall enough to get above the building, allowing workers easier and improved access to different parts of the construction site.

Mobile cranes are more likely to be limited by their size.

“It’s more a site logistics thing than anything else,” Ralston said.

Houwman worked with the construction company to determine equipment needs for building on the site, which is buttressed on all sides by a busy downtown.

Few buildings in Sioux Falls have been big enough to justify a tower crane.

“I’ve been waiting for a high rise downtown, and I finally got one,” said Bell.

Tower cranes are a rare sight in the city, where there’s often room to navigate a mobile crane and rarely a need to worry about height, Ralston said.

“Even in the city, it’s been quite few years since there’s been one,” Ralston said.

Washington Square’s developers planned the project to fit with the city’s goal of increasing density in the downtown area with livable, mixed-use spaces. Houwman expects tower cranes to become an increasingly common sight as developers build up the skyline.

“I’d love to see more of them down there,” Houwman said.

Sioux Falls' Tallest Structures

The tower crane downtown is a little more than 171 feet tall. How does that compare to other buildings?